Looking at the definitions of expert and expertise, you would be hard-pressed to see a meaningful difference between the two. In fact, as you probably could guess, expertise is derived from the word expert. However, in practice, the two words are very different, with one increasingly becoming more important in today’s workforce.

Fear is a powerful emotion. It's something that can motivate you or paralyze you. Just like in the real world where fear of danger cause a physiological response, fear that's purely based on your thoughts can keep you in a state of inaction.

But not everything is that holds you back is based around fear. Sometimes, it's a much more nuanced emotion.

Sometimes it's about not feeling capable. Sometimes it's about feeling like you're an imposter, waiting to be found out. Sometimes it's about feeling inadequate.

"You don't set out to build a wall. You don't say 'I'm going to build the biggest, baddest, greatest wall that's ever been built.' You don't start there. You say, 'I'm going to lay this brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid.' You do that every single day. And soon you have a wall."

-- Will Smith

This is one of the quotes I live by, and I've thought about it almost every day since I heard it.

It would be awesome if one day you figured out your passions and then the next were living the dream. Either entering a career you loved or starting a hobby that made you smile, it would be great if that's how things worked.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Often there's a bit of change involved. Passions take time, especially if you want to become good at them through practice. And there's always a bit of sacrifice.

The other day, I was thinking about how I defined myself and how much my education influenced that. I am an engineer because I went to school to learn how to be an engineer, graduated with an engineering degree, and I currently work as an engineer.

And then I thought, that although I was an engineer by education, I was also an author. That came not from education, but from action.

From there I began to think of numerous other professions that don't require more than a bit of learning and the will to break into them.

Everyone is aware of 'typical' passions: painting, playing an instrument, coding software, carving wood, etc. They've come up time and time again in various movies, books, articles, and other media. These are great passions to have, as they bring value to both the practitioners and those that receive the product/performance.

But not everyone's passion in going to fall into the traditional creative fields. Some lie elsewhere, and it's important not to limit yourself if you're currently searching for some of your passions. Focus on what it is that you love to do, and then find a career path for it.

I haven't learned what I need to know in order to become a bona fide inventor or creator of a successful business.

And that means I'm not ready.

I'm not ready to make that transition, to work specifically on it as a career, to live out my passions of tinkering and creating (Uh oh, if you haven't read Crazy Enough To Try yet, I'm giving away the not-so-surprise ending, haha).

And that's ok. Because we're always learning about new ideas, new concepts, and gaining new knowledge. And truthfully...you're never ready to make a big jump.

If your goal is to transform your passions into a business, or share them with the world, or even just improve them for the sake of improvement, I think that's extremely admirable. However, it's not enough to only have passions; practicing them is more important. Just because you love doing something, doesn't mean that it will come easily, or that your natural gift will carry you further than those who apply effective effort.